Searching for Occupational Therapy Schools near Shelbyville, TN? Let us help you locate the perfect OTA school for you!

When youstart your search for Occupational therapy Assistant schools in Shelbyville, TN, you shouldsoondiscover that there has never been a better time for you togo after a career as an OTA. The United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statisticsis expecting jobs in this particularfield to expand by 43% over the ten year period 2010-2020, this equates to over 12,000 new Occupational Therapy Assistant jobs! The even better news is that the medianOccupational Therapy Assistant incomeis greater than $53,000 per yearwhich makes itright there with the best paying healthcarejobs that does not call for a Four Year Degree.

Occupational Therapy Schools in Shelbyville, TN

The first steptoward a career as an OTA is selecting the rightOccupational Therapy School. There are currentlyalmosttwo hundred accredited occupational therapy schools in the US and Puerto Rico and nearly all the schools accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) offer Occupational Therapist Assistant degrees and Master’s Degrees, with many also offering Doctoral degrees. Before you decide tojump in andselect a training program, it is very important toconsider all of your optionsto makecertainyou find an Occupational Therapy school that fits all your requirements.

Items YouMust ConsiderWhen Picking an Occupational Therapy School

Accreditation

Accreditation by the ACOTE is essential because you will becertainthat you are going tobe taught the full range oftechniquesneeded to bea certified OTA.

Curriculum

Occupational Therapy Assistants assist patients on a wide array ofissues and disorders therefore it iscrucial that your schooling is very extensiverather then too focused ona particulararea of specialization.

Clinical Training

Another significantcomponentto take under consideration is the clinical learning experience. This is yourpractical training, and thisis whenyou are able to interact with real patients and put your skills to use. Some schools applysignificantly more time on your actual clinicalexperience when compared to theother training programs. In instances where your school is not investinglarge amounts of time with clinical teaching, be sure that youask why.

Class Size

Something else to look into is the class size. The size of may vary greatly from college to college. Make sure to find out the class sizes at all of schools you are looking at. Keep in mind, the smaller the class size , the more one-on-one teachingyou will get with thetrainers.

Online Courses

Taking Occupational Therapy Classes Online may not work for every student. Yet, for many people online training can relieveseveral of the burdens of being a full time student. Jobs and householdare oftentimesdriven aside while students carry on their education and online classes providea little flexibility to a busy life.

Graduation Rate

The finaldetailyou shouldlook intobefore choosing an Occupational Therapy School is the success rate of the training programsyou are looking at. Make sure to find out how many studentsfinish the program, what their reviews were, and how many of them have gone on tobecome Occupational Therapists.

Programs:

At South College we welcome students from all different stages of life and career. Whether you are pursing a degree for the first time, going back to school as an adult learner, or furthering your career with an advanced degree, our faculty and staff will partner with you to give your dreams direction.

Northcentral University was founded in 1996 to provide working professionals around the world with unprecedented access to richly engaging, professionally relevant, and academically-rigorous education from a U.S. university.

As a regionally accredited, private, online and graduate-focused university, NCU offers doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business, technology management, education, and psychology, as well as doctoral and master’s degrees in marriage and family therapy.

Programs:

Health Psychology - PhD of Psychology

Health Psychology - MA in Psychology

Master of Science in Health Psychology

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What to Expect in OTA School

Normally the course work is approximately24 months, with the first year being predominantlyclass-roomteaching and with the second year spent carrying out hands on learning in a medical facility or private careoffice. Some of the course work a student will be required to take involves pediatrics, gerontology, health careterminology, and physical rehab. All States that require licensure just wanta two year degree. A Bachelor’s Degree will beneededif you intend on becoming a full Occupational Therapist, however you will find that the majority of Occupational Therapist started their careers as Assistants and achieved their Bachelor’s Degrees a couple of years later.

Licensing Information

Following graduation, those ready tobegin their careers must become certified as an occupational therapist assistant. Each State has its own rules and specificationswhich are governed by an occupational therapy board, with some being private while others are run by the State exclusively. In Tennessee, licensing is controlled by the Tennessee Board of Occupational Therapy & Physical Therapy Examiners. Althougheach State is different, there are a number of requirements that are common among many of them and include the following.

Any individualtrying to get an occupational therapy assistant licensemust be a U.S. citizen, must have a social security number and needs to have taken and completedappropriate college course work and also taken and passed the NBCOT exam.

Each State requires a federal background check , but convictions are not necessarilyimmediate grounds for dismissal. Certain States may consider processing an occupational therapist license if a written affidavit is submitted to clarify the circumstances of the conviction. Additional factors including time period and nature of the crime may be evaluated and be taken into consideration to approve licensure .

Every State will have an Occupational Therapy Assistant licensing packagethat is going toinclude several forms to submit. Neverpurchase these forms from a third party since they can be found online from many trustworthyweb sites. It is recommended to take a very extensive look through the paper work before attempting to complete them. You might have official transcripts required; notarized signatures and many States will want you to complete a fingerprint card which may be completed at a local police station.

Job Environment for Occupational Therapy Assistants

An OTA works with an assortment of patients who have needs which are oftenvery differentin comparison to the previous patient. You may beworking in an outpatient facility with young childrenthat happen to have food or texture aversions or a hospital rehab facility working with a middle age woman with psychological struggles . Although an occupational therapy assistant hasmany job skills, a couple of the basics including following direction, keeping up to date with the most current techniques and learning and employing the available technologiesare extremely important. Finally, a COTA must also be relatively physically fit, becauseyou will encounter many instances of shifting patients around, such as from a bed to a wheel chair.

If this sounds like a career your interested in, then take a few minutes and visit the search form at the top of this page. You will be shown a list of schools near Shelbyville, TN that offer Occupational Therapy Assistant training. Request information from as many schools as you’d like, and good luck in your future career!

Occupational Therapy Schools in Shelbyville, TN reviewed by Liam DAVIS on June 8.

Very Helpful Site

Thank You for creating such an informative website. I was able to find more info about the various schools in my area and chose one that worked for me. I’m now ready to start my training and can’t wait to work as an Occupational Therapist.